The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners held its public hearing on a proposed budget that would hold the current tax rate of 48.8 cents. On June 6, nearly 30 community members signed up to speak during the public hearing for the spending plan for fiscal year 2024, which runs from July 1, 2023-June 30, 2024. The next step will be for Commissioners to vote on the proposed budget during their next meeting on Tuesday, June 20.

If approved, the overall budget would be $423,560,422 and would keep the current property tax rate of 48.8 cents for the third consecutive year. Below is a recap of what the proposed budget looks like.

Budget retreat priorities

During the Commissioners’ initial budget retreat last year, they identified five priorities for the FY24 budget. In the recommended budget, those priorities look like this:

• $6.6 million for public safety and expansion of emergency medical services.
• $698,000 for homelessness and continuum of care.
• $3.9 million for early childhood education workforce development.
• $637,000 for infrastructure in unincorporated and growth areas.
• On hold: Consolidation of school systems. All parties agreed to revisit this later.

Community investment through strategic priorities

In regard to community investments, Commissioners will continue to fund focus areas from the 2025 Strategic Plan. The following is a breakdown of some of the proposed community investments:

• $3,892,756 for early childhood and development:
  • Helping to ensure every child in Buncombe County has an equal opportunity to thrive during their first 2,000 days, including access to early childhood education. The funding would go to 16 organizations supporting 21 programs.
• $500,000 for Isaac Coleman grants:
  • Targeted investments that are currently working toward eliminating racial disparities and to champion equitable opportunities. Five organizations would be funded.
• $100,000 for Tipping Point grants:
  • Amplify community efforts toward building resiliency by funding 20 local organizations.
• $900,000 for Strategic Partnership grants:
  • Support nonprofit organizations working toward outcomes in alignment the County’s adopted Strategic Plan by funding 22 organizations that support 23 programs.
• $644,477 for Juvenile Crime Prevention Council:
  • To reduce and prevent juvenile crime by funding five organizations supporting six programs.
• $2,200,000 for Home and Community Care Block Grant and Buncombe County supplemental aging funds:
  • To encourage and maintain independence for persons over 60 and provide protection for older adults by funding 15 organizations supporting 20 programs.
• $4,064,714 for affordable housing services program:
  • To support public and private sector organizations to promote, preserve, and prioritize affordable housing within the County by funding nine organizations supporting 514 affordable housing units.
• $13,394,195 for affordable housing general obligation bond projects:
  • To help support the goal of increasing affordable housing by funding four organizations that are helping provide 398 affordable housing units.

Education funding

The proposed budget has $115.3 million worth of funding for A-B Tech and the Asheville City and Buncombe County school systems. You can see a breakdown of those proposed figures below:

*Request includes the amount that would result from an increase in the ACS Supplemental Tax Rate from 10.62¢ to 12¢.

Special district tax rate recommendations

Asheville City Schools and five fire districts are asking for an increase in tax rates. The proposed budget recommends moving forward with the fire district increases while keeping the city school district tax rate at its current level. You can see a breakdown of the special district tax rates below:
Timeline

Commissioners are slated to vote on adopting the budget on Tuesday, June 20. If you can’t attend the meeting, you can watch it here.

Previous budget meetings

• December budget retreat
• March 13 capital work session
• March 28 budget workshop
• April 25 budget workshop
• May 9 budget workshop
• May 16 recommended budget

Give Back Night at Buxton Hall BBQ

Focal Point Coworking and Biz Radio.US are proud to present Biz & Bites, a monthly event series!

Join us each month for a short talk with some of Asheville’s leading business thinkers, to meet and socialize with other local professionals, and to enjoy some of the tastiest treats Asheville has to offer!

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June: Boomers to Gen Z: Closing the Generational Divide

Generational stereotypes run deep. Join us for an impactful panel discussion hosted by Biz Radio Host, Hank Elder, as we explore how Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z conduct business differently and find ways to come together as one.

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Location

Focal Point Coworking is located at 125 S Lexington Avenue, Suite 101. The entrance is on Hilliard Avenue, across from the Bhramari parking lot. Street parking is available in the surrounding neighborhood.

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Cost: $5 per person

Free for Focal Point Co-Working Members

Please pre-register to reserve your seat!

– ALL AGES
– LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED

CHARLIE MARKS
Charlie Marks is an old-time, roots banjo and guitar picker. His sets blend traditional folk tunes with originals, ranging from foot-stomping banjo tunes to heartfelt ballads. With a sound described “as fresh as it is timeless”, Charlie brings a raw energy and earnestness to the stage that has captivated audiences across the country.

JAY SKAGGS
Jay Skaggs is an alt country singer out of central KY, with influences ranging from traditional music to alternative music. His songs tell tales from traveling the states, living in the street and dealing with our times today. Jay has been described as “grunge country” and “a highly caffeinated John Prine” (American songcatcher) and also drawn comparisons from Bob Dylan to Colter Wall. His music is found on YouTube and bandcamp. You can also stream Jay’s Red Barn Radio performance where ever you stream music. Take a listen to the *Okay Lucky You* EP @ jayskaggs.bandcamp.com

Carolina Mountain Club, the oldest hiking and trail maintaining club in the South, is celebrating one hundred years in 2023. Local author Danny Bernstein shares the history of hiking, trail maintenance, and land protection in western North Carolina in her recent book, Carolina Mountain Club: One Hundred Years.

One hundred years holds a rich history for Carolina Mountain Club (CMC) and Bernstein has compiled these stories. In the 1920s and 1930s the club built most of the Appalachian Trail in the South. In the 1980s, club members started building the Mountains-to-Sea Trail through western North Carolina and protected Max Patch from development, Recently CMC spoke out against building the North Shore Road through the most pristine part of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and is currently taking part in the Pisgah-Nantahala Forest plan. The club now leads five hikes a week, year round. It maintains over four hundred miles of trail.

In partnership with Asheville Museum of History, Buncombe County Special Collections will host a conversation with the author and Trevor Freeman, Asheville Museum of History Public Programs Director on Tuesday, June 20 at Pack Memorial’s Lord Auditorium. A slide presentation will feature historic photos and current activities. Bernstein will sign books after the program. All proceeds will go to Carolina Mountain Club. Cash or checks only, please.

About Danny Bernstein

Danny is a hiker, hike leader, and outdoor writer. She’s written several outdoor books of the area. In her previous life, she was in computer science, way before computers were cool, first as a software developer, then as a professor of computer science.

About Trevor Freeman

Trevor Freeman is a multi-generational western North Carolina native and holds an MA in American History. He has worked or interned in several parks and battlefield sites and is now the public programs director for the Asheville Museum of History. His research interests include the American Revolution as well as Appalachian and environmental history. An avid hiker, paddler, and fly fisher, you will often find him exploring or leading outings in the places he writes about.

Entry is free, books will be available for purchase with cash or checks only. All proceeds benefit Carolina Mountain Club.

Great news for poets and poetry lovers: Dark City Poet’s Society is returning to the Black Mountain Library. DCPS is a completely free poetry group that is open to poets of all ages and experience levels. Join us at the Black Mountain Library from 6-7:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month for our (respectful) critique group. DCPS will meet at BAD Craft from 6-7 p.m. on the third Tuesday for our monthly open mic Poetry Night. Find out more on Instagram @darkcitypoetssociety or contact the Black Mountain Library.

We are honored to host the Asheville Community Hoop and Flow Arts Jam in Pritchard Park, located in the heart of our beloved city. This event began in 2008 and we are honored and thrilled to bring you this FREE event open to all ages and all levels of experience! Asheville Hoops provides jammin’ tunes, demo props for all to use and a positive event that promotes movement, creativity, dance and FUN!

Game Highlight: Ingles BOGO Tuesday

Gates open at 5:30pm
All Ages – under 12 requires venue approval
RAIN OR SHINE
CLEAR BAGS ONLY

From the producers of Cheer Live 2022 comes House Of Cheer: The Level Up Tour 2023.

House of Cheer is the only touring company of professional cheerleaders in the world! Hitting the road this summer, this cast will travel the country showcasing who these athletes are as entertainers in addition to their cheer talents. The Level Up Tour is part pop concert and part athletic spectacle featuring the best and biggest and brightest stars of Cheer. With the epic production value of a live concert – dazzling lights, elaborate set design, and over 25 costume changes – to make for an explosive theatrical experience unlike any other. House of Cheer, sponsored by Rebel, hopes to welcome you into the home of some of the best cheerleaders in the nation for years to come, opening the door for a future professional career and an outlet to perform beyond the competitive cheer stage. It’s a place where everyone is welcome, and the possibilities are endless. House of Cheer aspires to entertain audiences around the globe for generations to come.

– ALL AGES
– STANDING ROOM ONLY

RYAN MONROE (Band of Horses) + JOSH ROBERTS

Ryan Monroe joined Band of Horses in 2007 to record “Cease To Begin” and has been writing some of your favorite BoH jams and rocking with the band ever since, 16 years and counting. Josh Roberts, who fronts the amazing Hinges, and Ryan Monroe of Band of Horses both played in Captain Easy.

Ryan wrote and sang on Grammy Nominated album – ‘Infinite Arms’ and also co-wrote ‘Warning Signs’ off of the recent ‘Things Are Great’ album. Both artists have deep catalogues of amazing released and unreleased material, this exciting night of music is sure to please old fans and enthrall new ones.

Back as a Duo for the first time in 20 years, Ryan and Josh have been playing with each other from the early days, this is sure to be an amazing reunion of amazing musicians and friends. Fans of Captain Easy, Hinges, and Band of Horses are sure to fall in love with their medley of tunes that started it all. They get weird & put on a rockin’ show!

ANALOG MOON

(IO), the third studio LP by Analog Moon, is a story based on true events that have not yet come to pass. It explores the human side of futurism. What happens when man is no longer limited by an aging biological body? Can consciousness exist in a machine? Can awareness exist without emotion?

Asheville, NC-based musician, artist, and producer Todd Britton explores this subject through the lens of the biblical creation metaphor on an electronic palette. Joined by multi-instrumentalist Josh Sullivan and bassist Matt Gentling, the current phase of Analog Moon is a departure from the emblematic rock-driven format typically associated with the project, manifesting instead in a more downtempo style.